Author Topic: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition  (Read 21997 times)

Future

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Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« on: June 29, 2019, 06:04:15 PM »
Question: Are you guys seriously ready for this?

mangomongo

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2019, 06:57:16 PM »
Don't hold back!

Oolie

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2019, 06:57:41 PM »
Been eagerly anticipating it.

simon_grow

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2019, 09:21:16 PM »
Bring it on!

Simon

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2019, 05:21:58 AM »
Can't wait for your expert tasting report..... Mike

Sleepdoc

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2019, 06:03:47 AM »
Going to be interesting!

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2019, 01:30:13 PM »
Ok here we go.

Been ultra busy touring with friends from Bermuda so didn’t have time to post.  As an intro since Wednesday we’ve hit 10 different spots...epic back to back to back mango mania.  Where?  Tropical Acres. Truly Tropical. Zills Fruit Stand. Excalibur. Zills Nursery. Sleepdoc’s. Cookie Monster’s.  Richard Campbell’s (twice).  Mango Snob’s private tasting.  Fruit and Spice Park / University of Florida Mango Mania event and tasting.  It’s been nothing short of insane.  What did we score?  Soon come...

FMfruitforest

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2019, 05:58:26 PM »
Well sounds like you have hit all the best spots for Mangoes

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2019, 06:32:53 PM »
That’s the where. Now the what:
First 2019’s most wanted (new to me) we conquered

M-10
M-17
Yi Xuan (dream come true)
Phoenix
Orange Essence
Brite Bite
Ceci love
Taymour

The usual suspects (and more) included:

Diamond
Haden
Brandon seedling
Florigon
Cushman
Tebow
Duncan
Valcarrie
Pickering
Maha
Coconut cream
Sunrise
Dupuis
Juicy Peach
Dot
PP
Bailey’s
Fruit Punch
Dwarf Hawaiian
Fukuda
Cat Saigon
Kathy / Kryptonite/ K-3
Peach cobbler
Ugly Betty
Sweet Tart
BD 20-1
Sunburst
Sien ta one
Sunburst
Bolt
Ceci love
Jakarta
Angie
Sophie Fry
Lemon zest
Fairchild
Kryder
P-22

There’s much more....




« Last Edit: June 30, 2019, 06:35:54 PM by Future »

Kaelix87

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2019, 07:21:34 PM »
Do you have more info on the most wanted list part lol
That’s the where. Now the what:
First 2019’s most wanted (new to me) we conquered

M-10
M-17
Yi Xuan (dream come true)
Phoenix
Orange Essence
Brite Bite
Ceci love
Taymour

The usual suspects (and more) included:

Diamond
Haden
Brandon seedling
Florigon
Cushman
Tebow
Duncan
Valcarrie
Pickering
Maha
Coconut cream
Sunrise
Dupuis
Juicy Peach
Dot
PP
Bailey’s
Fruit Punch
Dwarf Hawaiian
Fukuda
Cat Saigon
Kathy / Kryptonite/ K-3
Peach cobbler
Ugly Betty
Sweet Tart
BD 20-1
Sunburst
Sien ta one
Sunburst
Bolt
Ceci love
Jakarta
Angie
Sophie Fry
Lemon zest
Fairchild
Kryder
P-22

There’s much more....

TropicalFruitHunters

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2019, 11:43:30 PM »
It was a blast finally getting to meet you guys!  Great time.  Thanks for being a part of it.  Just too bad Sheehan was there to ruin it!  LOL!!!

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2019, 08:00:39 AM »
We also scored

My 2019's Most wanted: Buttercream, Bolt


Plus
Apricot
Cyrus
Vallenato
Ceici Love
Beatrice
Gaylour
Montego
Mabrouka
Arka neelkiran
ST Maui
Baptiste
White Pirie
Lucille
Sverona Rheka
White Lady
Webber
Van Dyke
White Alphonso
Winters
Tong By Ka
Tong Dam 9897
Tuehau
Excalibur
Ameeri
Dudu
Eulobio
D-10
Bombay
Graham
Julie
Super Julie
Super Alphonso
Florigon Choc Anon
Guava
Hindi Bessanara
Gary
Sturrock
Edgar
Simmonds
Mallika
Zill Indochinese
Nam Doc Mai
Ewais
Valencia Pride
Ryan
Cotton Candy
Seacrest
East Indian
Taralay
Philippine / Carabao
Pineapple Pleasure
Cac
Langra Benarsi


« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 10:47:17 PM by Future »

TropicalFruitHunters

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2019, 08:49:59 AM »
Believe it was 52 varieties.






Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2019, 12:20:01 PM »
2019 blessed me with the company of Carlos and Mel, both travelling from Bermuda.  We arrived together at Miami airport, got our rental car and headed north, stopping for lunch at Holi Vegan Kitchen.  As we drove, I primed them on the day's plans.  Mel is also known as the assassin because he's deadly quiet.  Born in Jamaica, he's worked on Carlos' farm for 16 years.  I probed him to find out what mangoes he enjoys.  No surprise, he favoured Julie, East Indian and Haitian mangoes but said he loved mangoes so much he ate whatever was placed in front of him. 

I chuckled, advising that after this trip was over, his days of enjoying Haitian mangoes would likely be as well.

He chuckled, politely disagreeing.

We arrived at Tropical Acres and as I predicted, a line up at the gate had already commenced.  We were 3rd in line.  Upon descending from our car his face lit up.  Bee line for crate upon crate Alex and his crew had waiting.

I headed for the premium crates and scored so real beauties plus a few Alex hand picked for us.  Next thing I knew, Mel was absolutely crushing a mango.

No table.

No chair. 

No plate. 

No knife. 

No napkin. 

No peeling. 

Just standing there crushing it like Godzilla.

Juice flew.  An ear to ear smile beamed.  I was amazed.  My man was serious about enjoying mangoes.  This was a heck of a way to start our buying spree. 

To be continued...

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2019, 12:30:29 PM »
Dinner yesterday: Mekong, Nam Doc Mai Sia Tong, Coconut Cream

Mekong is a poly mango I picked up from Alex.  You can read all about it here.  David Sturrock breeding efforts brought forth this Edward x Philippine cross and it does indeed delight.  Firm, dense and fibreless.  Mid range sweetness with piney hints that complement it well.

Nam Doc Sia Tong I ate fairly firm.  It tastes essentially just like Nam Doc Mai.  Eaten at this stage increases complexity beyond simple sweetness.  A good choice mango.

Coconut Cream have been amongst the best this year.  Of the 200 mango varieties we indulged in 5 days - seriously - Carlos rated it #1.  Mel #2.  It ha sbeen better than Lemon Zest, PPK, Sweet Tart, ZINC and even E4.  Very few have been clean outside but my God the fruity smell inside invites, the two tone dark and light yellow flesh intimates and the first bite leaves the tongue wagging.  CC has been delightful.  5 days of mango mashing mania and we tired not of it.

Coconut Cream wins dinner.

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #15 on: July 01, 2019, 12:38:25 PM »
Dessert: Zebda, E4

Alex has meticulously detailed Zebda's background here.  Egyptian origin with a Thai background, its fairly small and this one was already soft, probably a day or two late to eat.  Nonetheless is was actually ok, definitely sweet, definitely fibreless.  But couldn't fairly rate in this condition.  Solid green outside when ripe would certainly deter two legged thieves...

E4 has been among the best mangoes in 2019.  For me, Sugarloaf ranks at #9 all time.  The ones I had prior were not at their peak but this one was close.  Two tone light and dark yellow inside, melting flesh, wonderful aroma and just sweet coconutty heavenliness.  Again, solid green skin when ripe might make for arduous picking but the thives would at least have to second guess.  E4 cruises to dessert victory.

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #16 on: July 01, 2019, 12:47:43 PM »
Breakfast: Maha Chanok, Angie, Fruit Punch

Maha is an all time great.  This one had an interesting spiraling black patch and skin partly going off.  But inside is was perfect.  Firm.  Dense.  Good aroma and subtle flowery sweetness.  For those intimidated by sickly sweetness from the new fangled Zill releases, the classic Maha offers respite.  It was good i ate it first because....

Angie I ate firm as recommended by posters here.  Strikingly beautiful reddish orange speckled skin conceals yellow gold inside.  Stronger aroma than Maha, just as dense but much more flavor.  Is it top tier?  For a true snob, no.  But second tier is no insult.  I really enjoyed Angie and can see how it is being actively pitched as the north america Alphonso substitute.  On its own, eaten firm, you'd have no complaints.  But i followed it with...

Fruit Punch.  My, my, my.  We only scooped two this year and man were they good.  Spotted blackening skin covered immaculate yellowy orange fleshed.  Even denser than Angie.  Even more aromatic than Angie.  Even sweeter than Angie.  Definitely more complex flavor.  Had I eaten this first, well, yea... it closed out breakfast strong.  Its been a while since i had it in promised form and today was that day.

Fruit Punch, hands down, wins breakfast.  Yes, it delivered the knockout.

On the table we have Mun Khun See, Taralay, PPK, Philippine, E4 and Sweet Tart...
« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 01:09:22 PM by Future »

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #17 on: July 01, 2019, 03:33:37 PM »
Do you have more info on the most wanted list part lol
That’s the where. Now the what:
First 2019’s most wanted (new to me) we conquered

M-10
M-17
Yi Xuan (dream come true)
Phoenix
Orange Essence
Brite Bite
Ceci love
Taymour

The usual suspects (and more) included:

Diamond
Haden
Brandon seedling
Florigon
Cushman
Tebow
Duncan
Valcarrie
Pickering
Maha
Coconut cream
Sunrise
Dupuis
Juicy Peach
Dot
PP
Bailey’s
Fruit Punch
Dwarf Hawaiian
Fukuda
Cat Saigon
Kathy / Kryptonite/ K-3
Peach cobbler
Ugly Betty
Sweet Tart
BD 20-1
Sunburst
Sien ta one
Sunburst
Bolt
Ceci love
Jakarta
Angie
Sophie Fry
Lemon zest
Fairchild
Kryder
P-22

There’s much more....

Dr. Campbell says he is currently finalizing the names for M-10 and M-17, with Gary Zill's permission. He extols their virtues.

He also said the original trees at Zill's nursery have been cut down.

More on Yi Xuan - soon to be cut down - later...
« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 04:24:00 PM by Future »

Tiberivs

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #18 on: July 01, 2019, 04:55:16 PM »
I enjoyed the m-10 very much. It has that perfumey (don’t know what else to call it)flavor that I really enjoy it’s  the reason I planted “Providence”. From my notes I think harvest moon also had this perfumey flavor but not sure this was 2 years ago. My friend who sampled the m-10 described that perfumey note like the Valentine’s Day candy hearts (sweet hearts candy)
« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 05:13:17 PM by Tiberivs »

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #19 on: July 01, 2019, 05:16:12 PM »
My late lunch defined ridiculousness.

Lunch: Mun Khun See, E4, Po Pyu Kalay


For those note familiar, Mun Khun See is among the few mangoes that get sweet when unripe, green and crunchy.  Sleepdoc procured it years ago from F&S Park and I've had the pleasure for a few years to enjoy it.  The only other mango i've had that's similar is Mammou.  MKS though is different in that at every stage it presents a different story.  Constant sweetness is greeted by progressive ripening, and less crunch, more smoothness.  This one was ripe.  Bright yellowness inside introduced a pleasant Nam Doc Mai like flavour, silk.

E4 continue to consistently please with fruity, coconutty tones.  The contrasting light and dark yellow inside seem to foretell its gustatory pleasures.  The first cut brings a syrupy juice flowing to the plate.  The first bite rains more.  Light, floral and pleasing, its simply superb and difficult to fault.  Similarity to Coconut Cream rings true.  Green skin was half blackened but interestingly, flesh remain delectable all the way to it.  Bonus points.

Po Pyu Kalay brought this meal to an appropriate apex.  This one was dark orange, potassium rich, and the smell was like an orange.  Oh, and like E4, also a juice factory from the first cut.  Must be strange to someone never having the pleasure to enjoy a citrus flavoured mango to see it raved about.  But at its peak, PPK isn't just an all star.  Its a first ballot hall of famer.  Sweet citrusy silk leads the mind to a higher level few mangoes can.

Tough choice between E-4 and PPK.  E-4's bonus points for staying intact despite outer tarnish gives it the nod.

Coming soon: Taralay, Pineapple Pleasure, Yi Xuan

Tiberivs

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #20 on: July 01, 2019, 05:22:04 PM »
I try every year to get my hands on some ppk and for some reason or another. Never get the chance.

Future

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #21 on: July 01, 2019, 08:20:47 PM »
Dinner: Gary, Taralay, Yi Xuan

Our 3rd stop on our 2019 mango tour was Walter and Verna Zill's Fruit Stand.  Walter is a walking encyclopedia.  If you want to know about grafting techniques used in the 1930s, Walter can tell you.  My man Carlos is a master grafter and dove right in with Walter.  How to do a bottle grafts.  How to select budwood for  bud grafting mangoes.  Watch these two go at it and you could almost see the sparks flying from their heads. 

Meanwhile, Verna was flirting with me.

Ok, well, let my explain.  When a woman says "Abayomi, I have a box of mangoes with your name on it" it could be interpreted as being after a man's heart.  (Later that day, the ladies at Zill Nursery were after my heart too but that's a story for another day).  So I advised Walter and he gave Verna his consent, but only after he leaves this earth.  Given his unparalleled depth and breadth of knowledge, let that day take its time.

"Abayomi is a nice name for a mango".  So said a customer the day before we arrived at the fruit stand.  (She thought my name tag was for a mango, not the box.)  Perhaps she is a prophet, I dunno.  But given the politics behind all these mango names - and there is lots there - I'll skip that one too.

Back to mangoes.  Verna pulled out some new stuff for me including Brite Bite.  But no sign of Yi Xuan.  BSbullie brought it to the forum's attention some years ago and I've been seeking it since.  Walter told me in 2018 that it tends to split on the tree and thus he didn't favor it.  I brought it up again and he said he had intent to chop the tree down due to the splitting issues.  Wandering around, rummaging through odds and ends...boom...he finds the last Yi Xuan.

Its big, like Pineapple Pleasure size.  Verna advised letting it go a bit before eating but also confessed, she sees nothing special about it and wondered why BSB liked it so much.  I was in heaven, having dreamed of this mango for months. 

So this eve, I see it developing spoilage at Yi Xuan's stem end and decide its time.  A slice revealed dark yellow flesh.  It was firm silk.  First taste and yes, I have to agree with BSB - this is worthy of attention.  Sweet.  Dense.  It reminded me of a blend of Bombay's density with Pineapple Pleasure's flavor profile (fruity but not as pineapply).  Almost as thick as cheese.  I know Squam has it among his collection but will put in a call anyway...save the tree....

Gary was a runt but what little was there was pretty good.  Not much to say.

Taralay was going too far on ripeness but her smooth texture somewhat redeemed.  Not super sweet but pleasing.  Beautiful pink blush on one side, not something I see often with it, usually all yellow.

All told, for what may be Yi Xuan's last...it placed first.

Tomorrow sees Pineapple Pleasure, Dupuis, Florigon, Hindi Bessanara, Sugarloaf, Jehengar, Brite Bite, PPK and maybe Phoenix.

Tropicdude

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #22 on: July 01, 2019, 08:49:23 PM »
Interested in the Taymour review,  I am assuming this is the same as Taimor , from Egypt, a green ripening mango.  I tried a couple a few years ago, and they were very good. 
William
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Oolie

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #23 on: July 01, 2019, 08:50:24 PM »
8 or 9 exceedingly sweet mangoes a day is a mountain to climb!

Thank you for reporting in on the Yi Xuan, my ears always perk up when someone mentions a variety extolled by our most discerning snob. (lurking as he may be)

I can't wait to taste the Abayomi mango.

OCchris1

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Re: Future’s Florida Fruit Feast - Vol 9 - 2019 edition
« Reply #24 on: July 02, 2019, 01:49:16 AM »
+1 to Oolie
-Chris